JOSEPH VERNON
sound + visual artist
Joseph, co-founder of SoilSound, is a sound + visual artist and yoga and mindfulness teacher based in Maryland. His creative work spans electronic music, graphic design, and contemplative photography, all shaped by over fifteen years of mindfulness practice.
In 2018, he founded the Electronic Music Production Society (EMPS), a community that connects electronic music producers across the Washington, DC/Baltimore area and beyond. He teaches children and adults about the benefits of sound and the joy of creating and listening to music, the most powerful art form.
Whether composing with field recordings, designing printed works, or guiding a meditation, his process begins in the same place: presence, deep listening, and attention to what is already there.
Joseph Murray, recording as TOAO and Joseph Vernon.
Artist Statement
I create sound and imagery as acts of contemplation. Each piece begins with presence, a willingness to listen before shaping, to observe before composing. My process mirrors the mindfulness practices I teach: slow attention, layered awareness, and trust in emergence.
Whether working with granular synthesis, contemplative photography, or the resonance of a sustained tone, I am drawn to the threshold between the familiar and the barely perceptible, the texture just beneath the surface. My hope is that these works become spaces for listeners and viewers to pause, breathe, and discover.
Music
Joseph Vernon Releases
TOAO Releases
Poems of Tone
Light of the Great Eastern Sun
West, Beyond the Trees
Atman
Location
Seductive (Excessos Dub) with Mama CoAtl
Frontier
The Neo Lounge Affair
The Starlight Suite
Discography
Poems of Tone (2021) · Light of the Great Eastern Sun (2019) · STILL: An Audio Journey in Mindfulness Vol. 1 (2016) · Atman (2013) · Location (2010) · Frontier EP (2009) · Seductive (Excesos Dub) Single (2009) · The Neo Lounge Affair (2008) · A Touch of Honey (Sticky Mix) Single (2008) · A Touch of Honey Single (2008) · Zofka — Embrasse-moi Remix (2008) · Zofka — Parfume Vanille Remix (2006) · Groovecatcher — The Electronic Kick Remix (2006) · The Starlight Suite (2006) · The Starlight Suite (Dolby® Surround Sound version) (2006) · Iguassu — 6 Months Later Remix (2005) · Iguassu — How Was Your Fall Remix (2005) · Vas — Mandara Remix (2004, mX, Narada/MCA Records) · Pictures In My Mind — Variations on a Theme (Vol. 2) (2004) · Czar — Go There Remix (2002) · Dream River (2002, mX)
Live Performance
Soundscapes
2021: A Sound Odyssey
Ambient Spring
Moogfest
Yoga After Dark
Words
Inner Journeys: 324 Mindfulness Journaling Prompts
Inner Journeys is a collection of 324 mindfulness journaling prompts organized into ten d66 tables. Roll two six-sided dice, find your number, and begin writing. Each prompt arrives the way insight often does: unexpectedly, and exactly when you need it.
Morning Reflection · Midday Awareness · Evening Wind-Down · Sensory Exploration
The Sensory Exploration section is the heart of the book, with a full d66 table for each of six senses: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch, and Intuition.
This book is for journalers, yoga and meditation practitioners, seekers, creatives, and anyone drawn to inner work with a sense of play. Solo RPG players can also roll on any table to journal as a character, building emotional depth alongside any solo game.
5.5 × 8.5 inches · 57 pages · Paperback and PDF
Get the print edition on Amazon. Download the digital edition on itch.io, Gumroad, or Ko-fi.
Images
An exploration of texture – visually and sonically.
These images were all created by happy accidents. My phone captured close-ups while in my pocket or during transitions to or from taking a photo. Somewhat blurred photos of fabric, a table, or the ground become textures. They become interesting noise, as if there is something to discover deeper within the image or around it, if only you could zoom out to reveal the wider landscape. These are frozen moments in time. Thinking of these images as sound, what happens when we press the play button? What sonic surprises lie deeper within everyday sounds? What drones or melodies would they like to dance with? Or maybe they prefer to be alone. I’m currently exploring this idea through photography and experimental ambient music, influenced by musique concrète techniques. Deep looking and deep listening.
